Ft. Pomme de Terre

In 1863 troops of the 8th Regiment Company D of the Minnesota Volunteer Infantry under Captain Samuel McLarity established a military post and named it after the nearby river and lake. Some of the soldiers had been part of a prisoner exchange from Civil War regiments and were from Chatfield, MN. There was a blockhouse, commissary, arsenal, stables and barracks for enlisted men, one barrack for married men accompanied by wives -12 wives - and children as well as an officers’ house. 500 men could be accommodated. Entrances were on the east and south sides.

In February, 1863, a directive was sent to commanding officers that defensive stockades were to be constructed as a result of the attacks by the Dakota against early settlers. Most of the hastily constructed fortresses lacked four walls or had no walls at all. The regulations instructed that the walls should be 9 feet high, located near a water supply, away from timber or underbrush or commanded by rising ground. This hill top was a perfect location. The approximate dimensions of Fort Pomme de Terre were 200-300 feet wide (E and W), 500-600 feet long (N and S).

On a quiet hill in Pelican Lake Township there is a grave site honoring two soldiers killed while stationed at Fort Pomme de Terre. In the beginning, this hilltop was the site of a stagecoach relay station which was a busy place during the 1850s. It was an important stop for land speculators, government surveying groups, and fur traders traveling from Pembina on the Canadian border to Fort Snelling. In 1859 the US government contracted to have a “road” built to accommodate increasing traffic heading west. However, events were taking place in other parts of our country as well as in Minnesota. Many Minnesota men enlisted to fight in the Civil War and there was unrest in southern Minnesota among Native American nations.

Letters belonging to Mrs. Arnold, sister-in-law of Mr. Hair, who was a soldier stationed at the Fort, are part of the museum collection. From them, we get a picture of life at the fort during these years.

On May 2, 1863, Private Adam Hair and Corporal Zenas Blackman set out in search of goose eggs and were ambushed by Indians. They were buried in an unmarked grave just outside the fort walls under a wagon box turned upside down. There they rested until 1929 when members from local Legions decided to track down the stories they had heard years before. A granite marker was then placed by the Elbow Lake American Legion in 1932.

Replicas of the fort, in addition to artifacts collected from the site, as well as extensive articles pertaining to the fort, are available to view at the museum.

Marilyn Schaeffer Mau has done extensive research on Fort Pomme de Terre as her grandparents resided near the site. Marilyn has given several presentations and during Flekkefest 2025, Merilyn gave a presentation about "Life at Fort Pomme de Terre". Click HERE to watch it.

By Marilyn Schaeffer Mau 3.17.22
Photos of model by Tom Grout
Photo of tombstone by Merilyn Mau

PLEASE NOTE: The site of Fort Pomme de Terre is not accessible to the public as it is enclosed by private land.